Addressing food security among Tunisia’s vulnerable grounds and migrants

Tunis, 26 June 2023 - Siwar Arfaoui is a young researcher in international law and human rights and a member of Cultural Club of Ali Belhouane (CCAB), which is a non-profit youth association in Tunis. Siwar and CCAB members recently participated in planting an urban vegetable garden in Belvedere Park, Tunis City, as part of UN-Habitat’s project in Tunisia on food security in cities.

“This initiative is great. It encourages the youth to be part of creating an urban vegetable garden that ensures food security for people especially in our current critical situation,” Siwar stated during the event at the Belvedere Park.

“Uncovering the effects of the Ukrainian-Russian war: Anticipating and preparing for the impact of the Ukrainian-Russian war on food security in Tunisia” is UN-Habitat Tunisia’s food security project launched in 2023 aiming to raise awareness among local decision makers, civil society and citizens about the importance of the food crisis, and to support the response to the food needs, mainly of homeless and migrant populations, in two municipalities (Tunis and La Marsa). In addition to that, the project organises food aid distribution in a transparent and inclusive process using digitalisation and a web app that is developed to connect vulnerable populations with food.

UN-Habitat and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) are acting jointly, with the coordination of the UN Resident Coordinator Office to support the Tunisian Government to assess the food security situation in the Great Tunis in the two municipalities suffering from high poverty and vulnerability rates where the war together with the effect of the pandemic, has strongly impacted vulnerable populations such as the homeless and migrants.

“In a context of global polycrisis, Tunisia is facing food security, energy, and water scarcity challenges. To overcome these challenges, we urgently need to review our production and consumption systems”, said  Samia Hamouda, an expert in the Office for North Africa of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

This project's main partners are the municipality of Tunis and La Marsa as well as the ECA Office for North Africa, and so far, the project has assisted around 1000 people from vulnerable groups and migrants who are reached even through the web application or identified through local Non-Governmental Organisations.

“The Russian-Ukrainian war has increased Tunisia's food security issue. It is time to create more responsible and resilient production and consumption systems in order to secure food availability,” stated Aida Robbana, the Head of UN-Habitat Tunisia office, during the dissemination workshop.

This project addresses directly Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 5 and 11 and is in line with the related outputs of the Country Strategic framework for Tunisia: United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2021-2025. As part of its urban inclusion policy, UN-Habitat Tunisia pays particular attention to leaving no one behind, especially homeless people and migrants, who are real actors of change and cohesion within their communities.